eBay Bucks new terms

[deucetwins]

Another nail in the coffin. I received notification yesterday that now to redeem your eBay Bucks certificate, you must have a $5.00 minimum threshold per quarter earned in your eBay Bucks account. Anything less is forfeited. Another backdoor way to increase purchases (get above the $5.00 threshold) to collect more sellers' fees. I'm sure somehow eBay was losing profit margin on this. Some quarters the threshold would affect me, some quarters it wouldn't. But still, I liked the idea of being able to buy that 1987 Topps George Brett for virtually nothing.

[EvilKing00]

yea this is BS, they should at least let it carry over to the next quarter.

[freakhappy]

They have to find a way to make more money without actually improving their business model...thanks eBay!

When I first read about the change I just laughed and told my wife about it. I mean, what's next? It's like they are trying their hardest to push people away from their site...just disappointing because I've always liked eBay and IMO they have went backwards the past few years or so.


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[jb217676]

Could be worse. Ebay cancelled the ebay bucks program for Canadians last year.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

yea this is BS, they should at least let it carry over to the next quarter.

That's what I've been saying about the "credit hours" for my pension for the longest time. Yet, they keep eating my annual remainder hours.. The little thefts are how they keep things afloat...

The ebay bucks thing is a little different, yet still just about making $$$..

[johnmh71]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

yea this is BS, they should at least let it carry over to the next quarter.

++1

[Rob D.]

Just one more reason for people to cheat eBay out of PayPal fees by using the gift option for purchases. A dish best served cold.

[4815162342]

I used to get a kick out of seeing what cheap gadget I could buy from Hong Kong with my eBay bucks.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Seriously, guys?

All you have to do is spend $250 per quarter to get to the $5 threshold. Heck, if you do it on Double eBay Buck Days, you only have to spend $125 per quarter. I don't see what the big fuss is about.

[slidekellyslide]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Seriously, guys?

All you have to do is spend $250 per quarter to get to the $5 threshold. Heck, if you do it on Double eBay Buck Days, you only have to spend $125 per quarter. I don't see what the big fuss is about.

I don't even know what you guys are talking about...ebay bucks?

[birdman42]

Originally Posted by Rob D.

Just one more reason for people to cheat eBay out of PayPal fees by using the gift option for purchases. A dish best served cold.

PayPal gets their fees from the sender on "gift" option payments. If I buy a $100 item from you and send PP as a purchase, I send $100 and you get $97 (or whatever). If I make the payment as a "gift," you get the full $100 but I pay $103. Either way, eBay/PP gets theirs.

Bill

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by birdman42

PayPal gets their fees from the sender on "gift" option payments. If I buy a $100 item from you and send PP as a purchase, I send $100 and you get $97 (or whatever). If I make the payment as a "gift," you get the full $100 but I pay $103. Either way, eBay/PP gets theirs.



Bill

Neither the sender nor the recipient pays any fees if the sender uses a bank account.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by birdman42

PayPal gets their fees from the sender on "gift" option payments. If I buy a $100 item from you and send PP as a purchase, I send $100 and you get $97 (or whatever). If I make the payment as a "gift," you get the full $100 but I pay $103. Either way, eBay/PP gets theirs.

Bill

Bill,

That's only true is you're sending PayPal Gift using a credit card. If you're sending it from a PayPal balance or from a linked bank account, there is no fee.

[D. Bergin]

Well, seeing as the implementation of Ebay Bucks, was most likely coupled with a fee increase for sellers in order to pay for it, I should expect Ebay to lower my seller fees, just a little bit................right?

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Seriously, guys?

All you have to do is spend $250 per quarter to get to the $5 threshold. Heck, if you do it on Double eBay Buck Days, you only have to spend $125 per quarter. I don't see what the big fuss is about.

It's petty on ebay's part...that's the point. When companies try to give and help it's customer base, eBay seems to find a way to work in reverse. Is $5 a big deal? Of course not...but the point speaks louder.

[HRBAKER]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Seriously, guys?

All you have to do is spend $250 per quarter to get to the $5 threshold. Heck, if you do it on Double eBay Buck Days, you only have to spend $125 per quarter. I don't see what the big fuss is about.

+1 seriously, considering what we are able to abide in other areas of the hobby

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by jb217676

Could be worse. Ebay cancelled the ebay bucks program for Canadians last year.

That's what I figured was coming when I first saw the e-mail. I can't say that getting eBay bucks on a transaction or not has ever affected my buying, but it is nice to get $100-200 of free "stuff" once a quarter so long as they have the program in effect. I figure it will go the way of all other tangible perks eventually, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

+1 seriously, considering what we are able to abide in other areas of the hobby

Shhhh. Don't let eBay find out about "buyer's premiums" or else they'll figure some way to work that into the equation too. Only in the Collectibles categories though, b/c collectors are the only buyers nutty enough to stand for such a thing.

[Brian Van Horn]

Originally Posted by freakhappy

They have to find a way to make more money without actually improving their business model...thanks eBay!

When I first read about the change I just laughed and told my wife about it. I mean, what's next? It's like they are trying their hardest to push people away from their site...just disappointing because I've always liked eBay and IMO they have went backwards the past few years or so.


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eBay is becoming a bank?

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by Brian Van Horn

eBay is becoming a bank?

I know, right!??

[alanu]

Originally Posted by EvilKing00

yea this is BS, they should at least let it carry over to the next quarter.

It doesn't go into affect until 1/1/14

As a result of our latest program review, the eBay Bucks Certificates to be issued for the quarter ending December 31, 2013, will be the last sent for Rewards that total less than $5.00.

Effective January 1, 2014, program members must earn a minimum of $5.00 in eBay Bucks during a quarterly Earn Period in order to receive a Certificate at the end of the period. Quarterly balances below the $5.00 threshold will be forfeited.

[dabigyankeeman]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Seriously, guys?

All you have to do is spend $250 per quarter to get to the $5 threshold. Heck, if you do it on Double eBay Buck Days, you only have to spend $125 per quarter. I don't see what the big fuss is about.

Agreed. Also, i bought 2 cards on the Ebay bucks sale day, got QUADRUPLE Ebay bucks for both, and with over-buying the last few months, i really got great Ebay bucks coming in a few days.

But as to no bucks under $5, i can understand any business doing that. Its supposed to be an incentive to make you buy a little more, and if you havent reached $5, then the incentive didnt work on you.

[bbsports]

It could have been worse. I'm not surprised that they haven't removed the e-bay bucks away all together. E-bay has been riding the greedy train since 5/1 of this year when they decided to charge a 9% flat rate fee on all e-bay fees, even with an e-bay store.

[rjackson44]

feebay is really a nutty company ,,stick with net 54 it rocks ,,

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by dabigyankeeman

But as to no bucks under $5, i can understand any business doing that. Its supposed to be an incentive to make you buy a little more, and if you havent reached $5, then the incentive didnt work on you.

Exactly! Someone who gets it. Recently I went to the corner store and bought a soda and a bag of chips. My total was three dollars and some change. I gave the cashier my debit card and was quickly informed that the minimum credit card / debit card transaction was $5. I didn't have any cash on me, so had two choices. I could either use their in-store ATM to withdraw some cash and get charged a $3 fee (not including the fee my own bank would charge me) or I could purchase something else that I really didn't need to bring the total up to $5. Easy choice.

And just an FYI, today is QUADRUPLE eBay Buck day.

[4815162342]

Where do you see that today is quadruple eBay bucks day? Just curious - I can't find it on eBay's site.

[Republicaninmass]

I received and email today about the 4x bucks

[HRBAKER]

Some folks are hard to please even when you are giving them something.

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

I received and email today about the 4x bucks

I didn't receive that email.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Yeah, it was an email that was sent out. I should have clarified, it is only on purchases of $150 or more.

From the email:

Who's eligible?Only invited, registered eBay Bucks participants who receive the promotional offer from eBay in My Messages are eligible. Sorry, no forwarding—the offer is not transferable.

Promotion details The Promotion starts at 8:00AM PT on December 30, 2013, and ends at 11:59PM PT on December 30, 2013. Extra eBay Bucks can only be earned on every single item purchased that meets the minimum purchase requirement specified in the offer.

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

Some folks are hard to please even when you are giving them something.

As easy as it was to get what I was saying, I don't think a few of you did. I don't think any of us are mad per se at what eBay is doing, but it is clearly LAME what they are doing. They make it tough on small time sellers with some of the changes recently and now they want people to purchase a certain amount before they get rewarded..different from what they were doing. Although this wasn't a huge reward or anything, it would be that much more appreciated by someone that doesn't spend thousands of dollars.

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Exactly! Someone who gets it. Recently I went to the corner store and bought a soda and a bag of chips. My total was three dollars and some change. I gave the cashier my debit card and was quickly informed that the minimum credit card / debit card transaction was $5. I didn't have any cash on me, so had two choices. I could either use their in-store ATM to withdraw some cash and get charged a $3 fee (not including the fee my own bank would charge me) or I could purchase something else that I really didn't need to bring the total up to $5. Easy choice.

And just an FYI, today is QUADRUPLE eBay Buck day.

Your example would have fit perfectly if you've never been to that store before or were used to their policy, but what if that same store allowed you to purchase those same items with your cc/dc without having to buy any minimum amount and then one day they said their policy has changed and you have to buy $5 minimum or you will be charged a surcharge? I'm willing to bet you wouldn't be too happy at first...now your example makes sense.

[HRBAKER]

I did get what you are saying. The bucks are meant to incent buying behavior, if you haven't accumulated at least $5 worth under the program then it isn't working toward that end and they are simply saying (to me) either buy more if the Ebucks mean anything to you or don't.

There's no right or wrong here, it's their program. It's designed to benefit ebay - not sellers or buyers (large or small). They have and always will make changes in their favor.

It would be nice (and customer friendly) to let the sub-$5 balances rollover and accumulate but they decided otherwise.

[freakhappy]

Originally Posted by HRBAKER

I did get what you are saying. The bucks are meant to incent buying behavior, if you haven't accumulated at least $5 worth under the program then it isn't working toward that end and they are simply saying (to me) either buy more if the Ebucks mean anything to you or don't.

There's no right or wrong here, it's their program. It's designed to benefit ebay - not sellers or buyers (large or small). They have and always will make changes in their favor.

It would be nice (and customer friendly) to let the sub-$5 balances rollover and accumulate but they decided otherwise.

Word up, Jeff! I agree that it would be nice if they just roll it over, but that would cut into their profits, so....that ain't happening anytime soon!

I also know what you are saying about not fitting small or large buyers/sellers in particular, but yes, that's what businesses do...they attract business one way or another and this move did not do that. Do you think Wal-Mart only has themselves in mind when making changes? Of course not...they have everyone in mind...something to compete and win the customer base over. It all makes sense in the end...but eBay is going in reverse IMO

I also feel like they realize they are getting smacked around by Amazon and the profits aren't there like they used to be. Maybe they just can't make the profits without upping the fees and taking away from their customers? Just a thought...

[dabigyankeeman]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Exactly! Someone who gets it. Recently I went to the corner store and bought a soda and a bag of chips. My total was three dollars and some change. I gave the cashier my debit card and was quickly informed that the minimum credit card / debit card transaction was $5. I didn't have any cash on me, so had two choices. I could either use their in-store ATM to withdraw some cash and get charged a $3 fee (not including the fee my own bank would charge me) or I could purchase something else that I really didn't need to bring the total up to $5. Easy choice.

And just an FYI, today is QUADRUPLE eBay Buck day.

Thanks, and thanks for the info, maybe i missed the Ebay message to me, but recently they had a Quadruple Ebay bucks day (had to buy $150 per transaction to get the Quadruple) and i blew my money on two transactions that day to get the Quadruple bucks!

[prestigecollectibles]

Since 2009 I have received $2601.02 in Ebay Bucks. Nothing like getting free money.

[alanu]

Originally Posted by prestigecollectibles

Since 2009 I have received $2601.02 in Ebay Bucks. Nothing like getting free money.

If you consider getting 2% off purchases of over $100K a good deal

[itjclarke]

This bums me out. I consider myself a very good eBayer, yet NEVER seem to get these offers. I checked my messages after reading this thread and didn't get that email today. I guess they consider me a lower class customer.

[dabigyankeeman]

Originally Posted by itjclarke

This bums me out. I consider myself a very good eBayer, yet NEVER seem to get these offers. I checked my messages after reading this thread and didn't get that email today. I guess they consider me a lower class customer.

I double-checked my messages and emails, and i did NOT get this second offer. Maybe because i took advantage of it the first time a couple of weeks ago, they wanted to do different people. I dont know what criteria they use to pick who they send these to, but keep the faith, i bet one day yours will come!

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by itjclarke

This bums me out. I consider myself a very good eBayer, yet NEVER seem to get these offers. I checked my messages after reading this thread and didn't get that email today. I guess they consider me a lower class customer.

This same thing is what ticks me off about their various "free listing" promotions these days. Rarely do they do a sweeping all-users, anyone can list for free promotion, but will often send out promotions to targeted individuals, with only those receiving the e-mails being eligible. Invariably, those who receive the e-mails are not the high-volume sellers, which is fine. I understand that the promotions are to stimulate activity, and if you're already active, you don't need to be stimulated. What ticks me off though are the tag lines of "list 60k items Free", "list 100k items Free", etc., knowing full well that none of the individuals they are sending the e-mails to have anywhere near the "Selling Limits" to be able to take full advantage of the promotion.

Bottom line is, they don't consider you a lower-class customer, but rather a good/safe customer that they don't have to entice into more buying.

[prestigecollectibles]

Originally Posted by alanu

If you consider getting 2% off purchases of over $100K a good deal

You're right. I should probably opt out of the free money. I think 0% is a much better deal.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by prestigecollectibles

You're right. I should probably opt out of the free money. I think 0% is a much better deal.

Lol! Dont forget to stop dividend payments on any investments.

[Dan Carson]

What would it cost to rent a store? That's how I look at E-Bay fees. E-Bay covers the whole world not just your local area.
There was a time not so long ago that you had to rely on local card stores and card shows and the contacts you made though them for your collecting needs.
Such as selling, trading, and buying. Not to mention gasoline and your time getting to and from these stores and shows. The internet has made collecting any and everything much easier than it use to be. Try Using Net54's Buy/Sell/Trade section before using E-Bay. That's all I got to say about that.....

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

Bottom line is, they don't consider you a lower-class customer, but rather a good/safe customer that they don't have to entice into more buying.

Good point.. I need to find a way to tease them a little more. Maybe I'll start sending a bunch of random messages through my eBay profile to other eBayers talking about all the great auction houses I've discovered.

[tschock]

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

Invariably, those who receive the e-mails are not the high-volume sellers, which is fine. I understand that the promotions are to stimulate activity, and if you're already active, you don't need to be stimulated. What ticks me off though are the tag lines of "list 60k items Free", "list 100k items Free", etc., knowing full well that none of the individuals they are sending the e-mails to have anywhere near the "Selling Limits" to be able to take full advantage of the promotion.

And should someone of that "limited volume" seller level actually take advantage of that by listing a few thousand items, might ebay actually limit the number of listings anyway due to their policy of not wanting sellers to get in "over their heads" of what they can handle should those items get sold?

[thecatspajamas]

That's exactly what I'm saying. They will never offer 60k free listings to someone who has a Selling Limit cap that actually allows them to list 60k items. If you have a selling cap of 500 or 1000 items that you're allowed to list, they might as well say:

You can list a infinity times infinity plus infinity items FOR FREE.*

*Selling limits still apply.

As it is, on my main selling account, I have a limit of 20k items. Since eBay started doing the targeted listing promotions, I have received 0 Free Listing promotion e-mails, with the exception of once or twice a year that they still do a sweeping site-wide listing promotion (as they did in the run-up to Christmas this year). So I don't know what the cut-off for being blacklisted for Free Listings promotions is, but it appears to be something less than 20k. A while back I set up a second account intending to migrate all of my comic book listings over to it, and that account consistently receives every e-mail offer with bloated Free Listing counts, yet it has a Selling Limit cap of 100 listings. Just ridiculous.

[pawpawdiv9]

Ebay Bucks
--time to redeem my cool 16.13 over the past few months.
a new 3 pk underwear & un-opened packs of chewing gum, im good to go for 2014.

[Bunker]

I also understand why ebay is doing this, it is suppose to be a rewards program for people who purchase on ebay. Why should ebay reward someone for spending less than $250 a quarter? I bet ebay has to process 1000's of certificates every quarter that are less than $1.00.

My son only earned .63 cents last quarter it probably cost ebay more than that to notify him.

[freakhappy]

The big picture is easy to understand, but my beef with it is why offer it in the first place if you are just going to take it away? It was a nice perk for everyone, not just the people that splurge on eBay. Either way, it's not a big deal to me, it just seemed like a weak move. I'm guessing they took it away because their profits are not on the rise? and they have to find a way to help reverse that trend. Why else would they completely strip the eBay bucks program away from Canada...


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[4815162342]

Originally Posted by freakhappy

The big picture is easy to understand, but my beef with it is why offer it in the first place if you are just going to take it away? It was a nice perk for everyone, not just the people that splurge on eBay. Either way, it's not a big deal to me, it just seemed like a weak move. I'm guessing they took it away because their profits are not on the rise? and they have to find a way to help reverse that trend. Why else would they completely strip the eBay bucks program away from Canada...


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+1

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by freakhappy

why offer it in the first place if you are just going to take it away?

That's how I felt about the McRib